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Wednesday, 31 May 2017

A selection of the 36 moths of 26 species we caught with our Actinic trap last weekend. We had five new moths for the site in Notocelia cynosbatella, Lead Belle, Eyed Hawkmoth, Pale Tussock and Rustic Shoulder-knot. We also encountered a few interesting caterpillars in The Drinker, Lackey, Garden Tiger and Five-spot Burnet.

I haven't been able to trap at Parc Slip recently but fortunately my colleague has picked up the baton and carrying on weekly trapping. Mostly poor catches but Lorna did catch our first ever Lime hawkmoth and white pinion-spotted last week and second ever red-necked footman.
Yesterday morning we had about 50 species with a few new for the year including lobster, small magpie, common swift, Elachista argentellaand Pseudargyrotoza conwagana. These three micros I'm not sure of though. Thought the first might be Epinotia nisella/Zeiraphera isertana?

I was frustrated not to be able to get out trapping away from the garden during last week's hot spell, so had to content myself with a session on Saturday night - by which time the heat had gone and a chilly wind was blowing. As a result I was surprisingly pleased with the result - 69 species in 3 hours in mixed woodland at Hensol Forest. The temperature held up at 13C throughout, and it stayed cloudy - which no doubt helped as the moths kept arriving throughout.

I used the 'three card trick' of 125W MV, 6W actinic and my newly acquired 3W LED trap (electrics supplied by Paul Batty in Sheffield, 'retro-fitted' onto a Heath trap body). The LED trap performed slightly better than the 6W actinic, and contained the night's best moth - Epinotia subocellana (6th VC record I think), as well as a Little Thorn.

The recent hot spell brought just one new species for my garden list, the tiny but distinctive Stigmella trimaculella. It has slightly odd markings, but I don't think it can be anything else. I've seen the leaf mines of this species on the poplars down by the Taff, about 500m away.

A couple of weeks ago I was at The Graig and saw what I thought was Eucosma aspidiscana in an area with lots of golden-rod (the foodplant), but it flew off before I could net it or get a photo. I was back at the site today to look for Anania funebris, and in the same spot were two Eucosma aspidiscana flying in the sunshine. I managed to net one this time.

As far as I know this is the first VC41 record, just a few days after Dave had another tortrix new for the county less than a mile away!

I also saw one Anania funebris (too fast for a photo), eight Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, and several Cauchas fibulella.

Prowling our garden in Creigiau this afternoon and spotted several Diamond-backs, but none would pose for a picture, and managed a 'grab-shot' of a Nettle-tap's bottom. However, the main event was spotting Endothenia nigricostana at the back of one of the flower beds. I did see these last year, and had left a clump or two of woundwort in the beds to see if they would return - hopefully they have.

Quite windy but after a very warm day, 27 degrees here, it seemed it would be warm overnight so....
Still windy at dawn but around 80 species, mostly pretty flighty. Best for me was a distinctive Lead-coloured Pug which I've only seen once before, and not in Wales, but it got disturbed in the wind by a blundering Pale Tussock as I went to pot it, so no pic. I'll have to try for another.
Also good news was this Lobesia reliquana which I see is only the second VC 41 record, and new to me. The Ectoedemia albifasciella was only 3mm long so I nearly missed it, plus a couple more nice to see.

On Thursday night I caught this little tortrix, Cydia cosmophorana. I had a vague recollection of there being a previous Glamorgan record, but I can't see it so my memory is presumably flawed. And so my new garden chalks up it's first county first!

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This blog provides an opportunity for those interested in moth and butterfly recording in Glamorgan to post sightings, photographs and related activities. The pages of the old website can be found by clicking on the link below.